The Game
by Cordelia McGonagall
Summary: The Ravenclaw girls have created a little game for their own amusement. Lisa Turpin calls it Occlumency practice; Cho and Michael call it stupid. But why is Harry so interested, then?
1. The Game: The Rules

_The Game_

 _Chapter One: The Rules_

 _As ever, credit and thanks goes to J.K.R. for work I don't own._

"Oh, Merlin. Here we go," muttered Michael, as he stabbed a sausage viciously with the serving fork and flung it at his plate.

"What?" Harry blinked and looked around, bemusedly searching for the cause of Michael's irritation. He and Ron had been in the midst of talking Quidditch with Michael Corner and Terry Boot; they'd started on their walk from the greenhouses and were now sitting at the Ravenclaw table for lunch. Harry followed Ron's eyes down the table to the group of their fellow fifth-year girls at the table. Mandy Brocklehurst, a tall Ravenclaw with long, blonde waves, was pink-faced and coughing. Her housemates looked amused; Su Li cackled wildly as she whacked Mandy on the back, and Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin chuckled as they picked at their food. Morag MacDougal grinned, pulling a little pencil and a notebook from the pocket of her robes, her thick bob of auburn hair sliding over her freckled face as she leaned down to make some notes.

Terry Boot scowled at the girls and sighed. "Best to ignore it, Michael. They get off on the attention."

"Why can't we just have normal, fit girls in our house like you lot do?" Michael said to the visitors to his table, looking longingly over at the Gryffindor table where Ginny Weasley was chatting happily with Hermione Granger. Ron scowled at Michael.

'You have Cho," Harry mused, absently, as he grinned a hello to his new Ravenclaw girlfriend who slid in a spot down the table and replied with a tiny wave and a smile.

Terry shook his head. "No, _you_ have Cho. We can only ogle her when neither of you are looking," he replied, smirking, as he buttered a bit of bread and pretended to ignore Harry's eyebrows shooting to his hairline. "This lot," he jerked his head towards the girls at the far end of the table, are..."

"Ravingclaws," Seamus finished, as he dropped in next to Harry and winked down the table at Mandy, who had returned to her normal color but for a moment before flushing pink again.

Terry's lips formed a hard line. "Steady on - don't tarnish my house with name-calling, if you please."

Michael waved this off. "They are doing well enough without Finnegan, Terry. The girls are pointless and mad. All five of them. The game is daft."

"Game?" Harry looked back at the girls, who now appeared to be doing nothing more than calmly eating lunch.

"The game." Michael huffed. "Not even clever enough to come up with a name for it. The Sorting Hat should have settled them straight into the Hospital Wing." He sighed with annoyance when he saw Harry's baffled expression become more confused. "Each is her own team. Competes to see who is the better liar." He cocked an eyebrow at Ron and Harry's surprised faces and snorted. "Merlin. Gryffindors. So guileless."

Harry turned around to his house table to look at the girl that was now Michael's new girlfriend. Ginny's hair was glowing in the early afternoon sun. She caught Harry and Michael looking at her and grinned, causing them both to privately hold their breath, though Harry wasn't sure why he had. He shook it off and turned back to Michael. "You don't seem to have a problem with Ginny being a Gryffindor."

Michael smirked. "We haven't talked about the game." He looked back at Ginny, who was still watching the boys. She locked eyes with Michael and gave him a wolfish grin. "Don't talk much at all, actually," he murmured.

"OI!" Ron punched Michael in the arm. Ginny flicked her wand up in warning, but Michael grinned and rubbed his arm. Harry steered the conversation away from Ginny and back to the Ravenclaw girls. "So they lie to each other to see who takes the bait? How can they stand to be friends?"

"Well, here are the rules as I know them," Michael explained. "They aren't always playing, but they don't tell anyone when they are. Saw Lisa crying about something in the common room after the last Hogsmeade weekend, and the lot of them were comforting her, so they weren't playing then. They have a scoresheet - that was the notebook."

Ron's curiosity overcame his irritation. "So why don't they just assume they are getting wound up all the time?"

"Point deductions for skepticism when skepticism isn't due." Michael nodded. "They call in Lovegood, and then it's shot."

"Luna?" Harry wondered. "I didn't think they were friends."

"They aren't, really, but they aren't the ones who pick on her. That's the fourth years; we have to get on them about it. Anyway. Luna. She's the line judge. She can see through all manner of bullshit. Ironic." Michael rolled his eyes.

"Is it?" Harry muttered, absorbing some of Ron's irritation.

"Yes," Michael nodded, as if the point were settled. "You've only just met her, Potter. I've had to deal with her for four years." He looked again, wistfully, over at the Gryffindor table.

Seamus grinned. "Oh, I know why you're so sore, Corner. You overheard Turpin telling Li in Potions that Scrivenshaft's parchment tastes like vanilla. Lisa was put out that you took a lick to see. She loses points if other students get fully taken in, and she had to start over, because obviously, you daft prat, it doesn't. Who was poorly sorted, again?"

Ron chuckled delightedly at Michael's scowl.

* * *

Harry lay on his bed with his hands crossed behind his head, thinking about the game. He wanted to be scornful of it. He couldn't imagine lying to Hermione or Ron...but of course he could; he had many times before. But never to make them look like fools. Some things they just couldn't understand. But these girls had signed on for this - no one was playing a prank. It seemed in many ways a junior version of Occlumency practice. _Perhaps I should take notes_ , he mused.

Potions this week was doubled tomorrow, and the only consolation for it was an opportunity to watch the girls and the game. He'd eaten breakfast with Cho this morning, and while he'd enjoyed sitting next to his long-time crush, he found his attention diverted to Brocklehurst, MacDougal, Patil, Li, and Turpin. Cho had eventually noticed; she'd caught him sneaking a look at the girls and raised an eyebrow, cooly.

"They are pretty, aren't they?" she asked in a light voice with a thin, sharp edge to it.

Harry started with guilt. "No." Cho raised both eyebrows. Harry stammered, "I mean, I suppose so, but that's not...Corner and Boot told me they are playing a game..."

Cho rolled her eyes and flicked the sheet of black hair to her back. "They are ridiculous. I'm sure Michael told you so. It's so childish. I never saw you as the type to find that kind of thing fun, Harry." She looked at him expectantly, and Harry was at a loss for how to respond or to feel, so he poked at the remainder of his eggs, nodding slowly. He dawdled over his meal until Cho gave him up for class, leaving him with a sparsely filled table. The absence of Ravenclaw spacers between meant that Su Li was now close enough to speak to him.

"You two seem happy together, Harry. Lots in common. Very comfortable."

Harry looked up and over at the petite girl nearest him now at the table. Her pixie haircut revealed a delicate face which was now appraising him with a cool look.

"Li," Harry tersely acknowledged her presence, his irritation at her remarks heightened by Cho's reproach. She smiled broadly at his brittle response as though it confirmed a hypothesis.

"You were asking about our little game?" she asked.

Harry looked up at her, not sure if he should be wary or curious. He locked eyes with her and was surprised to see her eyes widen a little. "What are you, a Legilimens, or something?" he muttered.

She looked thoughtful. "You sound like Lisa. She calls this Occlumency practice. Truthfully, I just saw Michael scowling at us when he was talking to you. Figured he was still upset about the vanilla parchment thing," she chuckled. "Lisa's usually better than that one. Want to come to the library with us this morning, or will Mummy be upset?"

Harry growled, "She's not my mum, Li."

Su looked impressed. "Well, you'd be the first boy to think for himself that she's fancied, then. Cedric was sweet, but so henpecked," she sighed sadly, "By the way, we believe Voldemort is back. We believe you. You might do with some Occlumency yourself, come to think. Anyway," she shrugged, "we're in the library this morning. If you come, you must start calling me Su. I don't bite."


	2. The Game: The Coin Toss

Harry picked at his cold eggs, his mind engaged in a solitary debate. Normally, he would know his own mind and be decisive. Today, he could hear Cho telling him these girls were childish and Hermione asking him why he wasn't more interested in closing his mind properly through structured study and practice.

Hermione, the amateur Legilimens, would then see right through it all and ask him if he'd lost interest in Cho. It was as if Harry were having this conversation with Hermione instead of imagining it, for he abruptly tossed his fork on his plate and grabbed his bag to meet the Ravenclaw girls in the library.

Lisa, Su, Mandy, Morag, and Padma were seated at a large table with six chairs pulled around it. As Harry approached, Morag casually flicked her wand and pulled the empty chair out for him. Harry regarded it warily before sitting down, as if taking a seat were a commitment.

"Thanks, Morag. Chivalry exists outside Gryffindor, I reckon." Harry said, quietly.

Morag flashed him a grin. "Glad to see you, Harry. Su told us we might be expecting you."

"So," Mandy said briskly, snapping her Potions book shut and looking up at Harry, "was my loss today what drew you to our game? I'll have you know that I'm up two. Padma's slipping."

Harry shook his head. "What in the hell is this?" he laughed. "This seems so...I dunno...Slytherin of you. Trying to manipulate each other to get what you want."

"Hold on," waved Lisa. "I'll have you know that we never lie to each other to get what we want. Morag," she pointed lazily at her friend across the table, "for example, is the most ethical person we know. It's almost annoying how honest she is. She accidentally saw one of my homework answers and had to talk to Flitwick about it. He even thought she was ridiculous. We are just playing a game. We are practicing paying attention. It's an art."

"Science. Maths, actually. Probability, logic, critical thinking..." Padma started.

Mandy put her head in her hand. "Oh, not this again. You two are so boring, honestly." She slid her face up into her palm and studied Harry with a little smile. "Back to my question, please. Why are you here, Harry? Is Cho getting tiresome, all tears and hair flicking? Or do you want to play?"

"Merlin," Padma muttered. "Mandy's in a mood."

Mandy shrugged at Padma, and turned to Harry. "Sorry. I just want to know what you want."

Harry looked at her carefully, holding her cool look long after it became uncomfortable. "Su invited me. And you don't look sorry."

Su smiled. "I did indeed. And she isn't at all sorry, but that would be obvious to a Hufflepuff. What say you, Harry? We don't normally let boys play, but I'm up for it," she looked questioningly at the girls who shrugged casually.

Lisa eyed Harry shrewdly. "It doesn't seem fair. To him," she clarified to her housemates quickly, and Harry good-naturedly sniffed a small laugh. "But here we go. You have to pull one over on us. Long games are best, but you will figure that out soon enough. We don't always play. We go whenever we are in the mood, but we are friends first, so if we say _Drooble's_ , you know that we are absolutely not winding you up. Get too jumpy, and we call in Luna to sort it."

"I can't just watch?"

Mandy gave him a slow smile that opened to show her even, white teeth. Harry found her unnerving. "Well, goodness knows Michael can't get enough of us, even though he will tell anyone who will listen that we are mad. Can't stop you, if that is your cup of tea. But we probably will shut you out if you don't play. You might be a tell and see through me, and I can't have that yet. I started this game for a reason."

Harry thought about this for a moment. _Wonder what the reason was._ He cocked his chin up and gave Mandy a challenging look, holding it until she bit her lip.

"I'm in," he said, quietly.

Morag grinned. "Well, despite what Corner says, we do get other things done. We came to study. Stay if you want." She tucked her face behind a large, dusty book of star maps. Su smiled kindly at Harry and ran her hand through her spiky hair, fiddling with an earring as she bent over her Arithmancy book.

Mandy leaned in next to Harry and spoke to him softly. "If you don't mind, Harry, I have a question about Defense - I mean what we should know for the exam, not what that pink toad is teaching us; do you have time for me to ask?"

Harry blinked at her abrupt change in tone. "Yeah, sure. That's ah, fine."

Mandy nodded and pulled out parchment with notes and slid them between them. It was lucky he knew all of this material intimately, instinctively, as he was not, with the exception of one dance at the Yule Ball, used to being this close to any girls other than Cho and Hermione. And as Hermione had pointed out to Ron last year, they often forgot that she was a girl. Mandy didn't seem to like him that much, Harry mused, but she smelled good to sit next to.

"So I guess what I am wondering here, Harry, is the disarming spell you use..." Mandy stopped talking abruptly, and her eyes shot up to meet Harry's confused ones. She lowered her eyes and her voice even further, but kept her tone the same as she had before, detached and studious. "I can hear you smelling me, Harry."

Harry froze, horrified. Even though her eyes were cast down at her notes, his blush put a wry smile on her face. She pointedly kept writing, calmly. He forced himself to look down as well, lest he draw the attention of the other girls.

"I...was? I...um...sor..."

"Cardamom, jasmine. Base notes of sandalwood and amber. In case you were wondering. So, does the spell work if someone does a shield charm at the exact same time?"

"Um," Harry gathered himself, forcing his flustered mind to think about his D.A. meetings. "Well, we use these spells in less than scientific conditions, but I have only seen the shield charm work if it's said before the spell hits, so I think so, but I don't think Tofty is going to ask that, though."

"No, I suppose not," Mandy murmured, her quill flying over her parchment. "I figure we will need to know for real, soon enough."

Harry studied her, thinking about her words, and she lifted her face to meet his. He'd yet to meet anyone beyond Ron and Hermione in his year who anticipated what was to come like this. He wanted to say something. He wasn't sure what.

"Oh, drat. Where was that page? I lost the number we needed." Su was flipping through her Arithmancy book with annoyance.

"Love Potter's lips," Lisa murmured.

"Cheers," smiled Su, scribbling on her parchment.

"Show-offs," Mandy muttered.

"What, please?" Harry asked, bewildered again yet feeling confident enough to jump into the fray.

Su smirked at Mandy. "Herigone's mnemonic system. Each digit can be represented by certain consonant sounds. Vowels you add as you need to make a word, a phrase, or a sentence you can remember. So, for example, zero makes a _z_ sound, because zero starts with that sound, you see. _L_ is the letter for five, because of the Roman numeral for fifty..." She grinned as she could see Harry's feigned interest in the minutiae of the system. "Well, anyway, you can memorize dozens of digits. _Love Potter's lips_. 5891140590. Lisa taught it to us."

Padma looked up, obviously interested in both the details and Harry's reaction. "Being Muggle-born is nothing to brag about at Hogwarts, as Justin-But-I-Was-Down-For-Eton-Finch-Fletchley still hasn't sorted out, but Lisa's dad, we think, works for MI5. Or maybe the U.S. intelligence. Something weird, but she insists..."

"Daddy is an actuary. Let's brag about that, shall we? Mummy says he is a wizard with our finances. He went to Hogwarts, but he just prefers Muggle life, that's all." Lisa sniffed.

"Uh huh," Padma soothed absently, as she used her wand to highlight a passage in her textbook. "That makes a load of sense, right, Harry? Can't wait to leave Hogwarts with all your new magic and do maths in an office, yeah?"

"Can't say that I do," Harry frowned as he looked at Lisa, who shrugged and returned to her book.

The six settled into homework for another hour before lunch and afternoon classes. Harry's stomach rumbled, and as if that were a cue, the girls all waved and bolted for their dormitory, save Mandy, who was making quite a meal of organizing her books in her backpack.

"You headed to lunch, then?" asked Harry.

"Yes." Mandy suddenly sped up her packing and was looking at him, expectantly.

"I'll, uh, walk with you, then?" he asked.

Mandy smiled and nodded. Harry grinned back, relieved by the absence of her briskness and their awkwardness from before. Their pace to the Great Hall was more leisurely than his stomach would have liked, but Harry wanted to ask more about their game.

"What sorts of lies do you tell, Mandy?" He realized, as the words came out of his mouth, that they were more flirty than Cho would have liked them to be. A small voice in the back of his mind began to plan a difficult conversation later.

Mandy grinned. "You are going to think I am wicked, aren't you, Harry? I'm not. But I have had some good wins." She smiled at him again, and Harry felt something else in his stomach that wasn't quite hunger. She shrugged modestly, "Well, I did convince Su that Fred Weasley asked me to marry him. The foundation work for that one took ages. Not altogether unpleasant, though," she smiled wistfully. Harry frowned in confusion. _How had he missed that one?_ She pretended not to notice his face and kept talking. "Morag got hooked when I told her that the scent of the Invigoration Draught had fifty calories. I had to keep weighing myself and skipping lunch for weeks before Snape taught that lesson; it was hardly worth the win." Mandy caught Harry looking reflexively at her body, and he blushed, again.

Harry tried to regain his composure by going on the offensive. "When have you lost?"

"Oh, more than I want to admit. Morag had us all going that she was a werewolf. It took her ages; we thought it was just her period." Harry barked a shocked laugh and Mandy giggled and clenched her books tightly across her chest. "This one is embarrassing to say, and I hope it doesn't upset you, but Padma didn't have to work too hard to get me to believe that Draco Malfoy had a secret thing for Hermione."

"What?" Harry looked angry and appalled.

Mandy looked thoroughly chastened. "I honestly don't want to get into why I could think that could be true with you, of all people. Let's just say it wasn't one of my brighter moments." Her eyes were cast down, and she flicked them up to look up at him; even though they were close to the same height, she seemed to have shrunken, and he felt an odd tug of protectiveness as she searched his face.

"Well, um. Yeah. That is horrifying. I'll uh, pretend you didn't tell me that." Harry smiled at her, and Mandy relaxed, leaning into him so slightly, as they walked toward the Great Hall, that Harry wasn't sure if it was in his imagination or not.

"Oh! I forgot!" Mandy stopped and turned to him, resting her hand on his arm. "I need to send my mum an owl today. You know what, why don't you go on without me? I'm sort of used to skipping lunch anyway, unfortunately." She squeezed his arm and bolted away towards the Owlery, turning back to wave at him. Harry stopped for a moment to watch her leave, his mind swirling with conflicting thoughts. As he turned back, he saw Su speed past; she saw him out of the corner of her eye and doubled back to walk with him.

"Hullo again, Harry! I had to go back to my dormitory for a bit. Are you heading to lunch now? I'll walk with you."

As they rounded the corner in the corridor, Harry almost bumped into Cho.

"Hi, Harry!" Cho said, her eyes narrowing when she saw his companion. "Hello, Su," she said carefully, putting a icily polite smile over her obvious annoyance.

"Hi, Cho! Thanks for letting us borrow Harry, here. He really helped Mandy with her revision today." Su beamed at her fellow Ravenclaw so openly that Cho softened slightly. Harry made a move as sudden as though he saw a snitch under his nose.

"Say, Cho, I'd like to talk with you after class. Are you free?"

Cho studied his face in a way that showed Harry she had read his mind. Her mouth formed a thin line, and she looked back at Su, cooly. "I suppose I am, Harry. After last period. Our common room entrance. I'm sure you can find someone to help you if you get lost." And with that, she moved gracefully past him and down the hall, her thick hair swinging behind her.

Harry turned to Su. "Sorry about..."

"Oh," Su made a face and waved him off, "we've known Cho longer than you have. I am sure she is an excellent girlfriend, but..."

"I don't know." Harry muttered.

Su examined his face and nodded kindly. "You know. Whatever it is. You seem like someone who knows his own mind." She patted him on the back and led the way toward lunch.

Harry wanted to stop thinking about Cho. He turned to Su. "Do you have any advice for me about how to play?"

"Mmmm. Excellent question. Pay attention." She nodded and kept walking.

"I am. What is your advice?" Harry snorted with amusement.

"That is my advice, Harry. Pay attention. Legilimency is more than a spell. Pay attention. Body language isn't science; it's too flawed, too personal. But pay attention to people. To begin, people will often tell you the thing they are the most worried about the first time they meet you. Let that be your first lesson. Think about that, Harry." Su smiled at him and ducked behind him to go sit with the Ravenclaws at lunch. Harry wandered over to sit with Ron and Hermione, racking his brain to remember what, if anything, pretty Mandy Brocklehurst could be worried about.


	3. The Game: Strategy

Harry sat down for lunch across from Ron and Hermione, who had noticed his absence earlier in the day and were now quizzing him about it. He took a mouthful of stew to slow the pace of their interrogations and used the time to investigate them instead. Hermione's face was pointed to Harry, but her body was swiveled toward Ron. Ron's movements toward his bowl, glass, and spoon mimicked hers. Hermione, in her haste to eat during a break between peppering Harry with questions, blew on a spoonful of stew, and Harry's noticed Ron's eyes move to her lips that formed a pink bow. Harry's mind ranged over the past few months, and he recalled several moments with his friends at Grimmauld Place before the start of term, their quiet talks and furtive looks. _Right. Today is the day, then_ , Harry thought. He bolted down the rest of his stew and stood to leave, Hermione and Ron moving to walk with him. Harry surprised Hermione with a hand on her arm as he leaned in to talk to her quietly.

"Hey, Hermione. I need Ron's advice about Cho. Bit embarrassing, really. Can we catch up with you?"

Hermione's eyebrows raised into a skeptical look. "You need Ron's advice. About a girl? Good luck with that, Harry. See you in a bit." She rolled her eyes at Ron, who looked thoroughly confused.

"Why am I in trouble with her? What was that about, Harry?"

"Okay, first, I don't want to lie to Hermione. I told her I needed to talk to you about Cho. So I am going to break up with her today, overdue for both of us, I reckon, but that's..."

"You are chucking Cho? Are you mental? Why?"

Harry waved him off annoyedly. "She's no Hermione." Harry grinned, watching the confusion cloud over with surprise and jealousy.

"Oh. Right. Hermione, then." Ron set his jaw and looked steadily at a wall hanging over Harry's shoulder.

"Ha! That is what I thought. Yes, I am ending it with Cho. Because I don't think she likes me very much, and I think I might be fancying someone else. But not Hermione, you prat. That is your job, and you need to get a move on telling her about it before someone else closer than Krum does. Not me though, you idiot. I love her like you love Ginny."

Ron's face snapped back to Harry's. "What makes you think I fancy her now, mate?"

"Oh, please," Harry shook his head at his friend. "Did you like the idea of me going after her? Did Fred and George take the piss out of you for too long about her? Are you waiting for her to jump you in the common room? You will die waiting, Ron. It's obvious she fancies you, too, but she needs you to go on the offense, mate. Krum had to work to get her to notice him, and I reckon you are going to have to put yourself out there, too, even though we both know you won't have to work as hard as the most famous Quidditch player we know."

Ron chewed on his lip and stared at his trainers. "Where is this coming from, Harry?"

Harry looked at him shrewdly. "All right. It does have to do with the Ravenclaw girls. Su just told me to pay attention. So I did for five measly minutes, just now, and it should be obvious to anyone who pays attention that you two fancy each other like mad. I guess I always knew it, deep down. And I think you bicker because of it, and I suppose I would rather have you snogging each other than fighting with each other. So ask her out, please."

Ron's eyes widened. "Su Li knows I fancy Hermione?"

Harry looked exasperated. "Trelawney would know you fancy Hermione, Ron. Anyone who hasn't sorted it out, like maybe Hermione, figures that a bloke who plays it as cool as you have can't possibly fancy her. You need to tell Hermione how you feel. Put some effort into it please, as if she's worth it to you, so you don't muck it up. But I'm telling you, Ron, it's going to be hard for you to muck up if you take that chip off your shoulder and be honest with her. You know she is kind and loyal. She won't be horrible about it. Quite the opposite, I'd wager." Harry gave Ron a meaningful look and turned to walk to class.

Harry dreaded Defense with Umbridge almost as much as Potions, but his new assignment from Su was giving his mind some relief from stewing in anger at the incompetence and cruelty of the professor. They were seated with the Slytherins today, and Umbridge had merely pointed to the notes on the board and returned to her seat. Harry could see a stack of parchment on her small desk, neatly clipped into piles, but he knew he would be able to use the hour as he wished when he spotted the carefully folded _Witch Weekly_ at the bottom of the stack. As long as he was discreet, he was sure she would leave him alone today.

Hermione was seated, and she had left an open seat next to her. Often, Neville would grab it, as he knew Ron and Harry would likely slump together in a seat behind her. Today, though, Harry watched with amusement as he hung back, allowing Ron to silently raise his eyebrows in a question, a soft smile on his mouth, as he slid in carefully next to Hermione. Harry chose an aisle seat near the back, but he was close enough to see Hermione's ears turn faintly more pink.

Harry took note of the rest of the Gryffindors and Slytherins as they filed in, the crumbs still on Goyle's robes, Parvati's tired eyes closing for a moment as she dropped into a seat next to Lavender. Draco Malfoy, a boy Harry had always closely observed, picked an aisle seat opposite and up a few rows from him. Harry had always monitored him for signs of nefarious behavior; today, he was simply going to watch him without judgement. It was a warm day, and Draco rolled up the sleeves of his school robes. Harry noticed that he was staring at his bare arm, flexing it. Draco's eyes dragged up from his arm, and Harry followed them, shocked to see where they rested. Hermione was pulling her hair up into a loose knot at the nape of her neck. Harry smiled to himself as he saw Ron give her a shy look and Hermione return it fondly. Harry's eyes darted back to Draco, who started, as if he had caught himself staring. He looked troubled.

Hermione's movements to put up her hair caused her to knock her quill to the aisle behind her. Draco, Harry noticed, jerked forward as if to grab it for her but froze, his face in a dark scowl as he rubbed his forearm, as if it were some kind of reminder.

Hermione leaned down, her hand on the floor to support her reach and stretched toward Draco to retrieve her quill, her robes sliding open slightly at the front to reveal her thin collarbone. She felt Draco's eyes on her and looked up at him. His eyes widened for just a moment, a moment so fleeting, Harry was sure Hermione would not have it recorded, before Draco set his mouth into the sneer he reserved just for her. She matched it with a withering look, and capturing her quill, pulled herself back into her seat, overcorrecting slightly to lean into Ron, who smiled as he scrawled notes.

Harry looked back at Draco and saw him blinking furiously, looking down at his bare arms, his hands clasped tightly enough to make his pale knuckles white.

 _Merlin's beard,_ thought Harry. _Mandy may not have lost that round, after all._

Harry sighed as he left Defense and made his way up to Ravenclaw tower. He didn't need to wait for long after knocking; Cho seemed to have been waiting for him in her common room.

"Harry." Cho's arms were folded protectively in front of her chest. Her face looked cool, but her voice was tight.

Harry nodded. _Quickly. Like a plaster._ "Cho, I'm not sure I told you so, but you are...very pretty. Beautiful," he added quickly, as his words ambushed Cho. The bemusement taking the ice from her face gave him courage. "You are great at Quidditch. And smart. Too smart for me. I'm not making you happy, I don't think. You should be happy. I think you should see other people."

"Me? What about you, Harry?"

"I...have a lot on my mind."

"Like five other Ravenclaws?" Cho's voice edged toward bitterness.

"I just talked with them today, Cho." Harry wasn't sure why he was feeling defensive.

"And you are breaking up with me now. Michael was right about you, Harry. Michael says you don't appreciate what you have."

Harry blinked. _When have you been talking with Michael about us?_ Harry shook this off; displaying jealousy in the middle of breaking up with a girl was definitely poor form. He took a breath and looked down at Cho, hoping his face didn't reveal anything he'd just thought.

"Maybe you should go talk to Michael about it," Harry said, evenly.

"Maybe I will. Too bad he is in love with Ginny Weasley at the moment."

"What?" Harry's eyes widened.

Cho's narrowed, and she nodded at him. "Yeah, that is what I thought," she murmured to herself. "See you around, Harry." She swiveled to walk back through the Ravenclaw entrance.

"Wait," Harry called, suddenly.

Cho turned, her hurt look making Harry's breath catch. He recovered himself before she could turn away again.

"Cho, tell Michael that he is right."

Cho rolled her eyes and turned her back on him.

"And tell him that he doesn't, either." Harry saw her freeze in place, and he relieved her of having to make the next move by walking away.

* * *

Harry slid into a seat next to Hermione and Ron at dinner. He gave a questioning look to Ron, who looked flustered. Harry shook his head and dug into a pile of roasted potatoes.

"Harry," Hermione seemed ready for an interrogation. He steeled himself. "Tell me about what you've been up to with the Ravenclaws. Are you really into playing that...lying game, or whatever they are calling it? Seems like you'd be better off with Snape."

Harry's thoughts had wandered to Mandy, and the inclusion of his Potions professor into them caused him to choke on a bite of potato. He recovered himself, blinking the tears out of his eyes.

"I find them interesting to watch."

"I bet, mate," Ron murmured. Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes in unison.

"Smooth, Ron," Harry muttered. "Well," he said brightly to Hermione. "I think I am going to ask to join them in Hogsmeade this weekend. If you won't miss me too much."

He grinned at Hermione's snort. "I don't know if I have any reason to go this weekend, anyway, Harry, so no problem."

Harry gave Ron a pointed look. Ron cleared his throat. "Well, I'd like to, ah, go with you, Hermione, if you'd like."

Hermione blinked at her plate before looking up at Ron with a shy smile.

"Yes. I would like."

Their eyes met for a moment before they blushed and looked down with hesitant, but pleased looks. Harry smirked.

"Well, that is settled, then. I suppose I should go over and ask those girls if they would let me tag along, so I don't ruin your date," Harry said casually. He didn't stay to enjoy the reactions of his two friends.

"Hi," he said, sliding into the seat nearest Su. His eyes took in the girls' faces, and he filed their reactions. _I might be better at this game than I thought I would be,_ he thought.

"Hullo, Harry," chirped Morag. "You coming to ask to tag along with us to Hogsmeade?"

Harry grinned, expecting this of one of them, for he'd noticed they were watching the blushing going on at the Gryffindor table.

Su nodded. "You never shoo Hermione away to talk to Ron, do you? That was the giveaway, in case your are wondering. He'd better make it happen this weekend. Padma and I have a bet."

"What's at stake?" Harry already had enough reasons to hope that Ron would step up.

"Nothing really, just my happiness. I do not want to have to ask Vincent Crabbe to take a walk with me by the lake." Su shuddered.

Harry stared at the two girls as if they were mad. "Well, I would like to come with you all to Hogsmeade, if you'll have me. There isn't enough time for me to join your game otherwise."

"Well," Padma sighed, "Lisa was quite hoping Terry was going to ask her to go, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen. We are all free."

"I don't think I was," Lisa affected Padma's posh accent, "quite hoping. Maybe I'm just not that interested in Terry after all."

Harry leaned over the table onto his folded arms. "What would happen if you were that interested?" Lisa blinked, surprised by his question which Harry could see she found obvious.

"We'd be going, of course."

"What are you using to control the Ravenclaw boys you fancy? Love potions? Imperius Curse?"

Lisa looked annoyed, and Harry was reminded of Professor McGonagall, though her words were as fiddly as Professor Trelawney's. "I would only get my feelings caught up in a boy if I thought he could be interested, and if I thought he could be, I would make it happen. And if I wanted it enough, he would be interested, I promise you that."

Harry scowled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Su shrugged. "Lesson one, Harry. When does Terry eat breakfast, Lisa?"

"Eight. After a three-mile run. Unless it is raining hard, and then he eats at seven. He'd love a running partner; he's asked every boy in our house already, but no one wants to get up early. Seems like work to lace up my trainers. Maybe next month; I'll see how I feel then." Lisa looked down the table at Terry who was having an animated discussion with Michael and some other Ravenclaws Harry didn't know. Harry studied her face, and he suspected she would be lacing them up very soon.

"All right, then. Thanks for letting me join you this weekend." Harry leaned back and hit the table with his palm to signal his departure from the group, but he looked up slightly to sneak a look at Mandy, who had been silent for this entire conversation. She met his eyes, and gave him a little smile, which he returned.

As he walked away, he turned back to look at the Ravenclaw table. The girls had scooted closer together, their heads bowed together in conversation. Harry smiled to himself.


	4. The Game: The Decision

Harry woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of Ron rummaging through his trunk. Harry's irritation with being woken early was smoothed when he saw his best friend examining several shirts laid out on his unmade bed.

"Wear the blue one," Harry called out, his voice still thick with sleep.

"The blue one?" Ron had a hint of tension behind his words. "Why blue?"

"Doesn't matter, mate. Really. Her favorite color is blue, though."

"It is?" Ron turned to look at Harry quizzically. "Did she tell you that?"

Harry snorted, thinking about Hermione's blue school bag, the blue jumper she wore when she was particularly cold, and the blue hat she was knitting for Remus. "I just paid attention. You'd do well to start." Harry tucked his hands behind his head.

Ron's face looked defensive until he saw Harry's, absent of teasing or rebuke. He bit his lip, nodded, and smiled. "I reckon so."

The rest of their morning was quiet, each boy lost in his own thoughts. Harry saw Cho at breakfast; she and Michael were sitting together. Michael was nodding and smiling nervously at Cho; Harry found that he wasn't bothered by this at all, except to wonder what Ginny would think about it.

He found the girls at the entrance to the castle waiting for him.

"Sorry you had to wait," Harry breathed, pulling his wool cloak on as he walked.

"You know," Mandy began in a teasing voice, "Going to Hogsmeade with five girls - Rita Skeeter may have been writing some truth about you last year."

Padma snorted and Harry's eyes narrowed. "My third least favorite person. Thanks for mentioning her." Harry glanced at the group with a sly grin, wanting to test a theory. "Anyway, I rather thought you moved as a set."

Lisa gave Mandy a sideways look. Su fiddled with her earring and squinted a distant look. Mandy hooked her arm in Harry's and leaned in to him. "Sorry to have mentioned Skeeter. We do stick together, don't we? I'm glad you came with us."

He could hear the muffled giggling of Morag and Padma behind them. It didn't bother him; he smirked at their confirmation of what he'd been wondering. _They really are good teachers_ , he mused.

They continued walking, and Harry saw Lisa walking apart from the others, lost in her own thoughts. She looked up and he followed her eyes to Terry and Michael, loping down the hill, and judging by the wistful look on her face, Harry suspected that Lisa would be lacing up her trainers early Monday morning for a run.

Mandy's arm was still casually linked with his, and before he could think anything of it, she whispered to him, conspiratorially, "Ah, Lisa's a bit more taken than she admitted, isn't she?"

"I was just thinking that."

"I know. You were watching her watch Terry."

"Was also thinking I won't be able to put anything past you five. This game." He smiled at her, and he was surprised at how pleased he was with her smile back. "What is the safe word again? To let you know we aren't playing anymore?"

Mandy frowned. "Droobles. But you are still playing, right?" Harry grinned when he saw Mandy's face cloud over. "Harry, you sell yourself short. I still don't know what you did to Professor Snape in class. You just looked at him - I can't even describe how - it was so odd, and he just froze. Were you using Legilimency? What happened?"

"No." Harry paused, for he was puzzled by that reaction as well. "I just decided to really look at him for once without feeling angry. It's hard to pay attention to what you see when you are angry, you know? Dunno why it got to him, but it did, didn't it? Not used to it, I reckon. Maybe he thought I was possessed."

"Hmm. Maybe. What did his face look like to you?" Mandy asked.

Harry thought for a moment. "Sad. He looked sad."

* * *

Harry settled into a corner of Scrivenshafts with Morag and Padma. They'd quickly picked up the ink they needed and were waiting for the others to finish browsing.

Morag nodded at a woman who was standing nearby and said quietly, "Look at this woman. What do you see?"

Harry screwed up his face in mock concentration. "She's pretty." Padma rolled her eyes. "Well, umm," Harry considered her some more. "She's twisting her wedding ring. Is it new? Does she want it off?" The woman pulled the wedding ring off and held it in her hand before she dropped it in a pocket of her robes. "Ah. She wants it off, then. Is she meeting someone here?"

"No," Morag sighed. "No, she isn't meeting anyone." Morag pointed delicately at the stationery the woman picked up - thick parchment card with a heavy black edge. Harry noticed the selection, and then the attractive woman's face, which was, on closer inspection, tired and red-eyed.

"Depressing, Morag," Harry muttered. "Perhaps it's nicer to be clueless."

"Sometimes, yes, Harry," Padma whispered. "Parvati won't tell anyone, but I see that she is absolutely over the moon for Seamus, but he only has eyes for her best friend. I see that Trelawney drinks too much, Pansy Parkinson goes to the Prefects' bathroom to cry, and Dumbledore is painfully lonely."

"Lonely?" Harry was startled by this detail of a man he found so inscrutable.

"Yep. He has no one he's close to here. And it matters, because I see him watching us leave on Hogsmeade weekends. Wistfully. Like he wishes he were fifteen again."

Morag sighed. "Such downers we are. But it can be useful. Like with your friends." Morag nodded to the store window, and at that moment, Hermione and Ron were strolling by, holding hands. "Looks like we are going to have to pick up some clear lipgloss for your date, Padma. I hear Crabbe is a messy kisser."

Padma huffed and walked away from Morag and Harry, who exchanged amused looks.

The group of Ravenclaws and Harry gathered at the exit and made their way to The Three Broomsticks. A pair of older boys Harry didn't recognize were at the bar smoking, and Harry started with surprise when Padma and Morag bolted through the crowd to slide between them, Morag leaning in to ask Madam Rosemerta for drinks while Padma stepped toward the boy on the right; it looked to Harry as though she were apologizing. Her hand was on the arm of a tall, sandy-haired boy, and he bent down to hear her, a grin playing at his mouth.

Harry started to walk toward the bar to get a drink himself, but Su pulled him back. "Let's watch the masters, shall we?" Mandy laughed, but Lisa huffed, annoyed.

"You lot can watch all you like. I'm going to get a drink."

"And look for Terry?" Mandy asked, playfully.

"Do shut up," Lisa said calmly, as she pasted on a smile and made her way slowly toward the bar, where Harry spied Terry and Michael chatting with a few sixth-year Hufflepuffs.

Su poked Harry in the back, her voice as stern as Professor McGonagall's. "Now pay attention, Potter. You are missing some of their best work." She nodded toward Padma and Morag.

"Do they know those blokes?" Harry squinted at them. "Are they Slytherins? They look sort of familiar."

"Nope, I bet they don't know them. That would be no fun. They look like their on their first butterbeer. No firewhiskey. That's good. Otherwise it's too easy," Su nodded, approvingly.

"What's too easy?"

"Watch!" Su made Harry feel like they were watching a football game on television. "Oooh, there goes Padma for number two."

"Number two of what?" Harry's bemusement was starting to annoy him.

"Keep up, Harry," Mandy smirked. "She's flirting. She's going to touch him five times in fifteen minutes. See how she's mimicking what he does? He runs his hands through his hair, which he is doing to be adorable, by the way..."

Harry grimaced, thinking of how often he repeated this same gesture.

"It's working. Merlin, he is beautiful," Su breathed. Mandy shook her head.

"...and she flicks her hair. Points to her neck. Look at him stare at it. Good grief. This isn't even subtle. Sorry, Harry. It's hardly a good lesson..." Mandy linked her arm with his and leaned away from Su, but Harry stood firm.

"Let's watch. I thought you said body language was fiddly like Divination."

Su started to speak, but it was clear Mandy wanted to give the explanation. Su grinned and turned back to watch the foursome at the bar.

"Well, it is imprecise and transparent. I wouldn't use it to pull one over on McGonagall. Snape, Dumbledore, they'd see right through it. So would Luna," Mandy smiled fondly. "But knowing some of the preliminaries, well, it's a good warm-up exercise." She stepped slightly closer to Harry.

Harry looked down at her feet and then into her eyes. "A warm-up for what, exactly?"

Mandy looked caught. "Well, the game we are playing, I suppose."

Harry wondered why her cheeks were pink. He put his arm on Mandy's back and turned her around to face the bar again as he leaned into her and murmured into her ear, "If Su says they are the masters, perhaps we should watch and you tell me what they are doing."

Mandy cleared her throat. "Ah, is that three?"

Su chuckled from what seemed a distance. "Four. Moving fast. Now she is going in."

Padma nodded toward the boy's cigarettes, and he offered her one. She nodded at him to light it for her. She smiled and waved to someone behind them as she dropped the cigarette in the ashtray.

"Padma smokes?" Harry was fairly certain it was against the rules to smoke, even in Hogsmeade, but as he didn't know anyone who smoked at school, he wasn't aware of the rule.

"Nah," Mandy smiled. "Her mother is a Muggle doctor. She'd kill her."

Mandy nodded back to the scene unfolding at the bar. These boys weren't used to smoking either, for they were sharing the cigarettes, and Padma handed them off to Morag, who had the boy nearest her light one, which she held only briefly before depositing it in an ashtray to smolder on the bar. Rosemerta scowled at her and dumped the ashtray, and the maneuver repeated itself again. Morag then led the boys away with Padma, and they settled at the other side of the bar.

Harry wondered aloud, "Why is Rosemerta letting them smoke at the bar? She'd have me out on my ear if I tried that."

"Do you normally tip here?"

"Well. no. You don't, do you?"

"No. But we sat here with lemonades one afternoon last spring, and we saw Rosemerta pull in a pile of Sickles. Asked her how she did it. She says the price of the drink quietly, and a bloke has to lean in to hear her. She touches him and repeats herself. That's it. He feels badly - he had to make her repeat herself, and she gave him a gentle touch on the arm. He doesn't even notice it, but he feels better. So he adds a sickle or tells her to keep the change. Rosemerta tolerates us as students, her students. Plus, she doesn't like smoke at the bar, so the girls are probably helping her, but - oh here it is."

Harry looked up to watch Morag take another cigarette, but this time, she took the package, pulled out a cigarette, and handed it to the boy, keeping the box for herself. They boy was so wrapped up in what Morag was telling him, he didn't notice she'd taken ownership of his cigarettes, which she held casually, hidden in her palm. The boy went to light the cigarette, but then Morag leaned in very close, and he put it down on the bar, where Rosemerta swept it away with a bar towel. Morag offered a cigarette to the boy next to Parvati, but she was so close to him now he shook his head in refusal. Morag left the box of abandoned cigarettes on the bar as she led the group to a private table, her arm linked with the boy who seemed very pleased with this turn of events.

Harry looked at Mandy, and saw her eyes settle on the linked arms of Morag and her new friend. Harry gave Mandy a pointed look, his eyes trailing slowly down the arm that was linked with his on the way into the pub. She flushed. His theory was correct, and it was his turn to pretend.

"Where did Su disappear to?" Mandy looked flustered.

"She was paying attention and left us. Good thing for Goldstein. He's been staring at her since we got here."

Mandy looked up and around for Su, and saw that Anthony was indeed making his way over to her, now that she was alone. Mandy looked back at Harry and saw that he was smiling at her as if he knew a secret she did not.

"The smoke is getting to me," Harry blinked. "Fancy a walk outside?"

"Sure," Mandy breathed. Harry grinned.

They were only a few steps down the street when Harry detoured down a small alley and turned on her. He took a deep breath.

This time, he didn't care how flirty he sounded. "I forfeit. I can't lie to you, Mandy Brocklehurst."

She blinked. "What do you mean? I thought you were learning the game, figuring it all out..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked confused.

"Okay, my godfather is the convicted murderer Sirius Black. Innocent, by the way."

"You are ridiculous."

"Ah, Mandy. See? That one is true. I blew up my uncle's sister in third year. True. I was tried by the Wizengamot for conjuring a Patronus to fight a dementor this year. Also true."

"You are such a liar, Harry James Potter," Mandy pushed his chest with the palm of her hand, and he grabbed it and held it there. Pretending to be confident worked. He felt it, almost. His voice grew quiet.

"How did you know my middle name?"

"I um, heard Umbridge use it." Mandy's palm felt hot on his chest.

"That's a lie right there, Mandy."

"I read about you in _Witch Weekly_ ," Mandy murmured with an embarrassed smile.

Harry pulled a face. "Oh, ugh. You aren't doing as well at this game as I thought you would."

"You make me nervous, Harry."

Harry grinned but shook his head. "Oh, I can't have that. Not with a girl I fancy."

Mandy's eyes grew wide. "You're winding me up," she whispered.

"Nope," Harry shook his head matter-of-factly. "See?" Harry held out the back of his hand, and he saw Mandy recoil as she read his scar.

Mandy gasped, "Who did that to you?"

"Umbridge," Harry nodded grimly. "But back to you, Mandy I-don't-know-your middle-name Brocklehurst. You were winding me up. You were the one who drew me in. On purpose. You five are interesting, for sure, but pulling me into your game was your game, wasn't it? I liked that part. I want to keep playing that game."

"Ainsley."

"Mmm?" Harry rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand still on his chest.

"Amanda Ainsley Brocklehurst," Mandy said as she licked her lips.

Harry nodded as if this decided everything.

"Okay, Amanda Ainsley Brocklehurst. I'm not winding you up. _Droobles._ "

And Harry kissed her. He didn't have to lie to win, after all.


End file.
